Why did you send you child to an academy/ free school?

[EPQgirl]

I am a year 12 6th form student and am doing a project on free schools and academies. My project title is "What is the effect of the introduction of academies and free schools on the state education system".

I would like to hear from parents who have sent their kids to an academy or free school or who are thinking of doing so.
Why did you choose that school for your child?
Did you choose the school because it was an academy/ free school?
Do you think the school's academy status has effected the school?
Or anything else you think might be helpful...

Thanks in advance for any help.

When you get answers, you will need to split them up into the different types of organisation as they are different.

I'm no expert but Free Schools, I think, have their own ethos (which I suspect the parents buy into) and Academies are two types - the failing schools with forced conversion and the outstanding school type (only been available about 18 months and have generally gone for freedom from the LEA and more money at least in the short term).

My two go to the latter type and were there when it converted but I wouldn't move them. Nothing much has changed, its still a good school, and they have brought in extra Maths and English teaching, so as a parent that is good not bad. I think, once settled, you need a pretty good reason to move a child anyway.

My children are at an academy because their school (and all the others round here) became one.
Not a lot of "choice" in the matter.

How has academy status affected the school?
As I've named the school on here I'd probably not elaborate too much. Lets just say I (and every other parent I talk to) are NOT impressed.

Because in the city where I live you get your catchment school and there is no choice in reality whatever you may choose on the application form

My local comprehensive turned itself into an academy, and due to the way school admission areas work, I have no other choice of school.

So my son will go to an academy next year. I did not choose that - as far as I am concerned I applied for my nearest state comprehensive, as that was what it was when I applied - but I get no choice in the matter.

A free school is a very different beast, and I would not have chosen one had I any other option.

As to whether the school will change - I have no idea. I will have no opportunity to experience it as a non-academy.

All the parents round here would answer the same as Talkin- except dh and me who got dd into an out of catchment school on grounds of disability. Parents did everything to stop the move to academy status and have not been happy with the results. But if there is only one school per catchment and all the other schools fill up, then it's hardly a matter of choice.

Thanks everyone

Agree with others. My dd went to one of our local schools, which then chose (against the wishes of the parents who turned up tot he Parents' Meeting) to become an Acadamy. Only at the start of this year, so - from where I'm standing - I've not seen any differences yet.... oh, except dropping from Outstanding to Satisfactory in their recent OFSTED, but I'm not sure I can give all the credit/blame for that on to the fact it's now an acadamy.
Do take note of what Kez100 says in the first response though, as she's absolutely spot on about the 3 different types of school.

I think you'll find that the majority of people don't really have a choice where to send their children to school. People who live in cities, within striking distance of several schools may be able to chose where to apply, but don't always get a place at their preferred choice.
Those of us who live in smaller towns or in the country can just send their children to the nearest school. For example, we live a 10 min walk away from my girls' school, but the next nearest are about 10 miles away in several directions. No direct service bus to any of them, and not possible to drive the girls in the mornings/pick up in the afternoon as we both work.

BTW - our school is an ex comprehensive which has just converted to Academy, and there is no discernable difference (yet) between one and the other.

I'm a parent-proposer for a local free school, and we're waiting to hear if our free school proposal is going to be accepted by the DfE.

Many parents in our area think that we need a new school, and that our council haven't been doing a good job of listening to parents about the type of school that is needed. They also think that the council will soon run out of places altogether as they are making some controversial assumptions in their forecasting of school places. When some local people wrote to Michael Gove to complain about what our council were doing, he suggested that we get together and propose a free school instead, so that is what we have done. The Free School legislation can allow parents to create the sort of school that they think is right for their area.

Our local story is very complex, and I haven't explained it all here, but the result is that local people have been very frustrated, and are grateful for this opportunity to work together towards what will hopefully be a positive outcome.

Thanks again. Very interesting ParentProposer

The Headteachers in Slough are trying to start a free school - because they know a new secondary school is needed.

www.sloughobserver.co.uk/news/slough/articles/2012/02/25/57486-bids-to-create-free-schools/

I didn't choose to send my DC's to Academies, but both the Primary and Secondary will be Academies by the start of the next Academic year in September.

I'm not actually a fan of Academies, for various reasons, but as all the Secondaries in our town are becoming Academies at once as an Academy Consortium, changing schools would be pointless for DD.

As for the primary, it will be the first Primary Academy in our town, it's an 'outstanding' my arse convertor.

It remains to be seen how well it works, but I am sceptical as IMO it is being done for the wrong reasons - for the school's SLT rather than for the good of the DC's.

By Christmas I will have more of an idea!

In some areas, an awful lot of pressure is being put by the county councils on ALL schools in the county to become academies wherever possible, as they are not planning to provide the range of services that were expected in the past (ie saving money by telling schools they have to become academies and sort out provision for as much as possible by themselves). There is very little of genuine choice going on at any level.

rabbitstew
could you name a county where the LEA is encouraging schools to convert?

I know that the Dfe are
but the counties DH visits generally seem to be fighting it tooth and nail and trying to undercut the private providers on service provision to those schools who do convert.

Like TalkinPeace2 - IME, the LAs are very much against it, it's Gove that wants to break up any kind of coherance and sense of belonging in LAs, not the LAs themselves.

I have friends living and working in schools in West Sussex who tell me that this is the situation there - ie that schools are being strongly encouraged to switch to academy status. A direct quote from their website providing information on the academies programme: "West Sussex County Council (WSCC) is committed to supporting the coalition Government?s flagship policy for the conversion of schools to academy status." (See webpage reference below if you want to read it straight from the horse's mouth!)

www.westsussex.gov.uk/learning/west_sussex_grid_for_learning/information_and_guidance_for_t/academies-1/the_academies_programme.aspx

There aren't any academy schools in the town where I live, so I have no personal experience of them, but I certainly don't support the idea one iota.

I think Leicestershire has told all it's schools they have to convert.

Sorry, it was lincolnshire not Leicestershire.

www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2011/09/lincolnshire-advises-all-its-schools-to-become-academies-?-but-parents-not-consulted/

All of the Tory controlled LEAs have been given a strong steer from central government to promote academy conversion. Not sure about the ones that have the LibDems at the helm. Presumably its the Labour controlled LEAs who are resisting.

New govt legislation (Education Act 2011) says that all new schools have to be academies, so those LEAs who are resisting them will get a shock when they need to build a new school.

But then who knows what will happen after the next election. It could all be reversed.

"Strong steer" I believe the word you actually meant to use was "cash bung"

I have a DC going t Secondary school in September - offered a place at an outstanding LEA controlled school but near top of waiting list of outstanding academy .

Now in two minds whether to continue with the Academy school route as I have concerns about future funding and the whole 'academy status'.

Thanks IndigoBell, CouthyMow, rabbitstew, TalkinPeace2, BackforGood, AllTheAnswers and Sleepydog

My kids are a little bit young to be looking at secondaries but I can tell there is much concern in this area regarding the opening of a free school. A school recently closed on the site due to falling numbers in the area but they are opening a new secondary school on the same site even thought there are not enough students in the area to sustain it. They are concerns about the draining of both students and resources from the other schools and that it may mean another school to have to close in the near future.

I believe there are several free schools which have opened in areas where there is not a surplus of students. it seems a very strange decision of Gove.

They also keep referring to this 'outstanding free school' despite it not even being open yet. Not sure how they got their 'outstanding' status even though they are not open yet. A PR exercise maybe?

"could you name a county where the LEA is encouraging schools to convert?"

Reading.